A matter of Trust
by StanaTorv
Summary: Beckett and Castle uncover more than what they bargained for in regards to Johanna Beckett's murder. What does SG-1 have to do with it? How are they connected? Est. CB and SJ
1. Prologue

**This is for _Snickerdoodle225 _who asked if I had ever considered a Castle/Stargate crossover...well this is me considering it.**

**Disclaimer: The only thing that is mine are the ideas, not the characters.**

**Prologue**

"She's gotten too close before; what makes you think that she won't make any more connections now that SG-1 are involved?" a man in a dark suit asked his companion.

"We've sent her a message before by killing her Captain and almost ending her life, but perhaps it is time for us to send her a more permanent message," the other man replied.

The pair of suited men walked over to where a clear tank full of water was situated. Inside, a lone larva Goa'uld was swimming. It turned to look at the two men; it's eyes shone gold.

"I think this will be a most suitable message, don't you think?" the second man asked.

The first man nodded, "We will be able to use her talents for our own dealings. We will be unstoppable."

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter one will be following shortly and perhaps even chapter two. Please leave me a review if you feel so obliged.<strong>

**Sam **


	2. Chapter 1: Uncle Jack

**I decided to upload the prologue and chapter one at the same time. I figured 200 words wouldn't be enough to tie you over until the next time I update.**

**EDIT: Ok, in my haste it has been brought to my attention that I had my timeline a little skewed, but I have fixed it. This is the time line:**

**Castle b.- 1971  
>Beckett b.-1980 (She is younger than Stana)<br>Charlie b.- 1986  
>Charlie d.- 1996 (Same year as the first Stargate mission to Abydos)<br>Alexis b. 1993****  
>Johanna Beckett d.-1999<br>Sam and Jack married- 2006  
>Castle and Beckett meet in 2009<strong>

**I hope that makes sense now...it does for me. Thanks to _Reikson_ for letting me know my error. I hope to be as accurate as possible.**

**Chapter One: Uncle Jack**

_Ring Riing_

The phone that was at ear level on Kate's side of the bed was incessant. Blindly, she fumbled around ana managed to answer it.

"'lo," she mumbled. It was her only Saturday off of the month; she didn't want to be disturbed.

"Katie?" the voice on the other end sounded concerned.

Kate sat up in bed, "Dad? Are you ok? What are you doing calling this early?"

Jim chuckled, "Early? It's amost 10am. I figured you'd be awake by now."

Kate looked over at the alarm clock that was on the other side of the bed. The time clicked over to 9:59 and she wiped the sleep from her eyes. "Sorry, dad. I didn't realise the time."

"It's ok. Long week?" he asked.

"The longest," she conceeded, "was there something that you wanted? I'm still in need of sleep."  
>She had found that she needed a lot more sleep as she was still partially recovering from the gun shot wound that ripped through her body a little over six months ago.<p>

"Yes, sorry," he continued, "I just received an invitation for your Uncle Jack's anniversary party; your name is on it too. Did you want to go?"

Kate thought for a moment, "Uh, sure, just send me the details and I'll get back to you."

"Sounds good. I'll let you get back to seep now, Katie."

"Thanks dad, I'll talk to you later." Kate hung up her phone and placed it back onto the table beside the bed and sunk back down into the matress.

"Who was that?" asked a weary voice next to her.

"It was just my dad; I'll tell you about it later," she replied.

"'kay," he pulled her close to his body and nuzzled his face into her neck, "I love you."

"I love you, too, Rick."

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Kate and Rick sat together in his loft at the breakfast bar, picking at the remains of their lunch.<p>

"So tell me about this Uncle Jack of yours," Rick asked.

She took a bite of her sandwich and, after swallowing it, she started her story.

"Well, he's not my uncle by blood. He and my dad went to college together. Uncle Jack was the one who introduced my mom to my dad. Uncle Jack was the best man at their wedding and vice versa. When I was born, they made him my god father. Uncle Jack went on to the Air Force Academy in Colorado and dad and mom moved back to New York. When I was about six, Uncle Jack and his wife Sara had a son, Charlie. Uncle Jack went away a lot with the Air Force but he loved Charlie so much. He was such a cute kid." Kate paused and tears formed in her eyes.

"It's ok, Kate. You don't have to tell me anything else if you don't want to," Rick ran his hand up and down her arm, soothing her.

"I'm ok," she took a deep breath and continued. "When I was sixteen, we got a phone call. Charlie had accidentally shot himself with Uncle Jack's gun. He died. We flew out to Colorado for his funeral and Uncle Jack was a complete mess." She paused again before going on, "He wasn't the same after that. He started on a new project for the Air Force and it was about three years later that my mom died. He was there for the funeral but we hardly saw him as the years went on. A few years ago he was promoted to General. I think the last time that I saw him was at his wedding. I was on mandatory leave due to an injury and I was able to fly out to Las Vegas to see it. I hadn't seen him that happy in a very long time."

"And now you're invited to his anniversary party?"

Kate nodded, "Yeah, it'll be good to see him again."

"When is it?" he asked.

"In a couple weeks. It's in Colorado Springs. Apparently all their friends are there and it was easier for them to organise."

Rick smiled, "Well I think the break will do you good. You've been working hard to get back to full strength and you deserve a break."

Kate sighed, "I know, I just don't know if the Captain will let me have those days at such short notice. She's a stickler for the rules."

Rick looked at her dejected face, "I'd offer to go and ask for you, but she doesn't really like me much."

"That's very true," Kate laughed, "I'll work something out. Maybe I can work double for the next week to make up for it. I'll talk to her on Monday morning."

"Good plan," Rick thought for a moment. "Would there happen to be a plus one on that invitation?" he asked.

She smiled at him, "I though that it was implied that you were coming with me?"

"Ah, how stupid of me not to realise." He reached over and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I love you."

She rested her forehead against his, "I love you, too."

* * *

><p><strong>And there is chapter one. I hope you enjoyed it. If you would be so kind as to let me know what you thought, I would be forever in your debt. <strong>

**The first few chapters will be introducing the characters again to see how they are all connected. It'll give a bit of a back story so that the non-Stargate or non-Castle watchers will be able to follow this story. **

**:-) Sam**


	3. Chapter 2: What happens in Vegas

**I'm trying to write as much as I can as I'm going away on Wednesday for about 10 days and I won't be updating, plus when I get back I start back up at work and uni so I'm not sure how much time I can devote to this fic. I want to try and finish it in a timely manner. **

**EDIT: Thanks to Reikson, I now have more of an insight to the US Police force and changed Kate's rank accordingly.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2: What happens in Vegas<strong>

_5 Years Earlier- November 2006_

"And by the power invested in me by the state of Nevada, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride."

Major General Jack O'Neill stood proud in the chapel in his dress blues sporting a huge grin on his face. His new wife, Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter, dressed in a simple cream gown, was wearing a matching grin. Jack pulled her close and brought his mouth down to meet hers in a passionate kiss. Those in attendance stood and applauded the newly married couple as they broke apart and started back down the aisle.

A then Officer Kate Beckett watched on as her god father got married. Her arm was in a sling as she had been in a shootout with a suspect a week prior and the bullet entered her shoulder where the vest didn't protect. She followed the rest of the wedding party to the reception venue, which was actually a steakhouse, as opposed to a dining room in a hotel. Apparently the large African-American man, Murray, was responsible for organising that particular facet of the wedding.

The group that her Uncle Jack had alligned himself with were a little different than what she had expected. Kate understood that his new wife was also in the Air Force, but he didn't know what use he would have with an archaeoloist.  
>As the night progressed, she found that she had found common ground with this Dr. Daniel Jackson and was able to practice her French and Russian language skills with him.<p>

"Katie-girl! I'm so happy that you could make it." Jack came over to her, his wife in tow. "Carter, I want you to meet my god-daughter, Kate. Katie, this is Sam."

Kate held out her uninjured left hand and shook Sam's awkwardly. "Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise. Jack told me you work for the NYPD. That must be interesting work."

Kate nodded, "It has it's days. Getting shot at is certainly interesting."

Sam chuckled softly, "Don't I know it. I think it adds a little spice to your day."

"I thought you were a scientist?" Kate asked a little confused.

"I am, but as an Air Force officer, you still have to be prepared for the worst."

"I see! Well congratulations to you both. The painkillers I took before have started to kick in so I should probably get going." It wasn't entirely true but she needed to get out of there. Seeing Jack this happy after everything was strange, especially when she was still in therapy to deal with her mother's murder.

"Thanks for coming out, Kate. It meant a lot to Sam and I," Jack told her as he walked her outside and hailed her a cab. "Say hi to your dad for me. I've been meaning to call in and see him, but things have been a little crazy on my end."

"Sure," she nodded, "thanks for inviting me. You look happy, Uncle Jack." Kate gave him a one armed hug, which he returned.

"I am happy. Next time I see you, I want you to be just as happy."

"I promise." Kate hopped into the cab and gave him the address of her hotel. She needed to soak her body in a bath for a little while.

* * *

><p><em>5 Years Later- November 2011<em>

"Jack, you need to leave now if you want to make it to the airport in time to pick them up," Sam called out from their bedroom of their Colorado Springs home to her husband who was sitting on the couch in the living room watching the hockey game.

"I'm leaving now," he called back.

Sam walked into the living room and stood directly in front of the television so that he couldn't see, "That's what you said ten minutes ago. Now hurry up or you'll be late."

Jack stood up and snapped to attention, "Yes, ma'am." He turned sharply on his heel and headed out the front door.

"Smart ass!" she called out after him.

All Jim Beckett told Jack was that he was picking up three people at the airport, so when Jack saw an older looking Kate walking hand-in-hand with another man with Jim on her other side, he was shocked. This was the first time that he had seen her since his wedding. He walked up and greeted them; he and Jim embraced like brothers and Jack gave Kate a tight hug, "You kept your promise, Katie-girl." Jack grinned at her and she let out a wide smile in return before looking at Rick and then back at Jack.

"Yeah, I guess I did. Jack, this is Richard Castle. Rick, this is my Uncle Jack."

Rick held out his hand for the older man to shake, but Jack just stood there with his arms crossed, looking Rick up and down as if he was evaluating him.

"How are you, Dick? Good flight? How about them Yankees?"

Rick was confused, "Uh, I'm fine, thank you. Flight was good. I'm more of a Mets fan actually." Jack grinned and slapped him on the back.

"I think I'm going to like you, Dick."

Kate cleared her throat, "Uh, Jack, his name is Rick." Jack looked over at Rick and then back to Kate.

"I know, but I think he will be Dick for just a little while longer."

Sam had insisted that Jim and his family stay with them. As they were the only non-military people attending the party, it would be easier than looking for a hotel close enough. The others that were invited would either stay on base or at their own homes. She showed Jim to his room first and then led Kate and Rick to the one they would be sharing.

"Here you are, towels and fresh linen are in the closet are in the hall if you need it. Just make yourselves comfortable."

"Thanks, Sam." Kate placed her small suitcase on the bed next to where Rick had put his and started to unpack.

"She doesn't seem like she's military," Rick commented.

"Who? Sam?"

"Yeah, not like Jack. I honestly don't know if the guy likes me or wants to shoot me. It's scary!"

Kate laughed, "Don't worry about Jack. He likes you, trust me."

Rick was still wary, "How do you know?"

She stopped what she was doing and looked Rick straight in the eyes, "If he didn't like you, you'd already be dead."

Rick's eyes widened in shock, "Oh."

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for leaving that there but I felt as if it was a good place to stop for now. The next chapter will be the party and then we will get into the more meaty part of the story. I haven't written anything Stargate related in a while, so I hope I'm still doing the characters justice. <strong>

**Sam**


	4. Chapter 3: The Plot Thickens

**Hey look! New chapter! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed or alerted this story. If you think I've missed a back story point or would like to see one written, let me know and I can add it in. Everyone loves a good flashback scene. Oh btw, Vala is my spirit animal, so I am very much looking forward to writing lines for her once again. **

**Chapter 3: The Plot Thickens**

The two suited men sat in the cable van that was parked down the road from the O'Neill's house. They were monitoring the comings and goings of the visitors to the house, biding their time to strike.

"We must be patient. She must not know that we are onto her. Montgomery should not have sent that information to them," the first man stated.

"Does she know the full extent of how deep this runs?" the second man asked.

"It doen't matter. We can't take the risk of her coming close to the truth."

So they sat and waited.

* * *

><p>It was Saturday afternoon and the O'Neill's anniversary party was in full swing. Jack had the barbeque going and was standing around it with Jim Beckett, Colonel Cameron Mitchell and Sargeant Siler.<p>

"Jack, make sure you have the first aid kit just in case you have an accident," Sam told her husband as she walked past him carrying a large bowl of salad to the table that had been placed outside.

"What makes you so sure that we're going to have an accident?" he questioned.

Sam looked over at the trio, "Well for one, you've got Siler helping out. No offence, Siler."

"None taken, ma'am," Siler replied as he took a swig of his beer.

"And second, the last time you barbequed, you pretty much sacrificed the meat to the gods."

Jack nodded, "Point taken," he handed the tongs to Mitchell, "here, you take over."

"Uh, thank you, sir," Mitchell replied as Sam laughed at the men.

At the table, the Vala Mal Doran had taken it upon herself to organise the layout of the food and had roped Kate into helping her.

"Ok, so we have the salads here," she pointed to the far left hand side of the table, "then we have room for the steaks in the middle, and then the condiments next to that and then on the smaller table we have the desserts." She stood with her hands on her hips, pleased with her handiwork. "What do you think, Kate?"

Kate thought the woman was crazy, "Um, I think it's perfect."

"Great!" she clapped her hands together and bounded over to where Kate was standing opposite her and linked her arm in her, "Now, Kate, tell me about yourself. Where did you say you were from again?"

"New York."

"Ah, New York. I don't think I've been there. Is there a lot of shopping do be done there?" Vala asked.

Kate smiled, "Most definitely. On every corner there is something to buy."

Vala's grey eyes lit up, "I need to go there. I wonder if Daniel will take me." She looked around for the archaeologist before calling out, "Daniel darling! Where are you?"

From inside Kate could practically hear the man groan as he made his way outside, "What do you want now, Vala?"

Vala battered her eyes at him, "Can you take me to New York. Kate said that there was wonderful shopping there."

Daniel rolled his eyes, "Did she now?"

Vala nodded her head emphatically, "Yes, now can we go? Please, Daniel."

"I'll think about it," he conceeded, not wanting her to get all pouty on him.

"Thank you, darling." She gave him a quick kiss before asking, "Can you find Liam for me, I think he's about due for a feed."

"Sure." Daniel went back in side to find his six month old son, whom he had left with another one of the guests.

Vala turned back to Kate, "Don't you just love it when they do what you want?"

"Yes, it is nice when they follow orders," she replied.

Vala looked around again, "Now which one is yours?"

Kate pointed to Rick who was talking with General Landry, "Over there."

"Ooh he's nice. What was his name again?"

"Richard. Rick." Rick caught Kate staring at him and threw her a wink and she smiled wide.

"Looks like you've found a good one," Vala stated as as she saw their interaction.

Kate nodded, "I really have."

* * *

><p>Rick finished up his conversation with General Landry and moved over to where Kate was now alone after Vala had left to feed her son. Rick wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and kissed the back of her neck. "Hey beautiful."<p>

"Hey yourself. Having a good time?"

"Yeah, these military guys are great. It's giving me some ideas for my next book. Hank, General Landry, that I was just speaking too said that I could have a tour of the academy and their base some time. I can't see all of it, but it should give me some insight into how a military base is run." Kate could tell Rick was excited.

"Sounds like this trip was as good for you as it was for me."

They stood their in silence for a couple minutes until Teal'c came over to them, "Excuse me, but you are Richard Castle, are you not?" he asked.

Rick looked the big man up and down, "That's me, please to meet you..."

"I am Teal'c."

Kate was confused, "I thought your name was Murray?"

Teal'c looked at her, "I believe Murray is what O'Neill calls a 'nickname'."

"Ah, ok then."

Rick turned back to Teal'c, "So, you read my books?"

Teal'c nodded, "Indeed. Colonel Carter acquired them for me several Christmases ago. They are very good."

"Thanks Teal'c, make sure that before I leave that I sign one for you."

"Indeed." Teal'c bowed his head slightly and left the couple standing and looking at each other.

"Was it just me or was that guy..." Rick started

"Weird? Yes." Kate finished for him, "He was the one who booked the steakhouse for Jack and Sam's reception."

"Ah!"

* * *

><p>The rest of the evening went off without a hitch. Jack bulit a large bonfire in the middle of the yard so that everyone could sit around it and make s'mores for an after dessert treat. Slowly the numbers dwindled and all that was left in the group were the O'Neills, Becketts, Castle, Teal'c, Jackson and Vala, and Mitchell and Dr Carolyn Lam. Military and police anecdotes were told until they left everyone in stitches. Kate eventually excused herself to go to the bathroom. She was so relaxed in this environment that as she entered the house she was caught unaware by the shock of a Zat Ni'ki'tel. She slumped into the arms of the waiting suited men and was carried out into the darkness.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Don't hate me! *Ducks for cover* I hope to have the next chapter up by tomorrow night (my time) I hope that you can hold out until then.<strong>

**Please leave a review if you feel so inclined. I love to know what you all think about this. I think you'll like the twist I have in store for it though. I'm chuffed with it haha**

**Sam**


	5. Chapter 4: Kidnapped

**Just to let you know, this will be my last chapter for at least a couple weeks. I'm going up north to see my nieces and I won't have Internet access for my laptop. I am bringing old fashioned pen and paper with me so I will be doing a whole bunch of writing, in between watching Play School and Shawn the Sheep and playing with Play-Doh. **

**All mistakes are my own, and if you find anything that doesn't make sense, don't hesitate to tell me and I will happily fix it.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Kidnapped<strong>

When Kate awoke she found herself bound but not gagged on the floor inside the back of a moving van. A suited man sat on a bench opposite her.

"Where are you taking me?" she questioned and looked at the man, "and who are you?"

The man looked at her blankly, "Where we are going and who we are is of no concern to you." Kate struggled against the ropes that bound her hands and feet. "I wouldn't do that if I were you?"

"And why the hell not?"

The man moved the Zat from his left hand to his right, "Because I will have to shoot you again, and the second shot from this is fatal. Ingenious really."

Kate eyed the snake-like weapon, "What kind of gun is that anyway?"

"All in good time, Detective. Now why don't you be a good girl and be quiet, hm?"

Kate slumped back against the wall of the van, hoping that someone would come looking for her.

* * *

><p>When Kate didn't return from inside after about ten minutes, Rick started to get worried so he excused himself from the group to go and look for her.<p>

"Kate! Are you in here?" he looked in their bedroom and when he couldn't find her his anxiety level shot through the roof. Rick ran outside to where everyone was still sitting around the bon fire. "Kate's missing."

Jim and Jack's eyes both shot up, "What do you mean she's misssing?" Jim questioned.

Rick took a deep breath, "I mean, she's gone. I looked for her everywhere."

"Did you try her cell phone?" Sam asked.

Rick shook his head, "No." He pulled out his own phone and pressed speed dial one and waited. And waited. It eventually rung out. He tried it again; same thing. "She's not picking up."

Jack moved over to Rick, "Is there anyone you can think of that wanted to hurt her?"

He nodded, "Yeah, we're looking into her mom's murder. There was a hit put out on her about six months ago. She almost died. Her old Captain sent me information before he died. We were being careful. Not making any big waves so that we could stay undetected."

"Looks like you made bigger waves than you anticipated." It was Daniel who spoke up. "But why would they come after her here?" Vala asked.

"I don't know, but I have to find her." Rick stared back inside to gather what he could so that he could try and find Kate.

"Rick, we can help," Sam told him, "You won't be able to find her on your own. Now why don't we all go inside and you can tell us the whole story."

* * *

><p>The drive to wherever they were going took forever and Kate was tired, but she didn't want to go to sleep. She needed to gather all the information she could about her kidnappers. They had already switched vans twice since she had awoken from being stunned; she had tried to get any inkling as to their location each time, but there were no stand out landmarks that she could see.<p>

"Do you think I could have some water?" she asked the man who was watching over her.

"Soon. We are nearly at our destination."

Kate didn't know what the men had in store for her and she tried to keep positive, but with the lack of communication between the men and the uncertainty of what was to happen to her, she was scared. She was scared for her life and for those who would come looking for her.

* * *

><p>Everyone had crowded into the living room and Rick sat facing the group, readying himself to tell the story of what he and Kate had gotten into. He knew that Jack had been told what had happened to Kate and some of the reasons why so he wasn't going to bother with the start of the original story. He figured that if people needed clarification, they could just ask. He took a deep breath and started.<p>

"After Kate got shot we knew we were getting close to who was responsible for organising the kidnappings of the mobsters and in turn, Johanna's murder. We knew Lockwood was just a gun-for-hire, but was high up in the chain. Captain Montgomery was part of the cover-up, but, the day he died, he sent me a package containing all he knew about those orchestrating the cover-up. When Kate was well enough, I showed her the information. We decided to keep it quiet and not involve anyone except for our other partners, Ryan and Esposito. We didn't want anyone seeing that we were still working on the case.

"Only a few weeks ago, we found that it went a lot higher than the legal and political system in New York. A Agent Barrett from the NID was mentioned in the files as someone who knew things. We were able to get a hold of him and he said that there was a rogue faction at play and that we needed to stop looking any further before anything worse happened.

"We couldn't stop looking, and I think it's this rogue group that might have kidnapped Kate." Rick looked up at the group in front of him, "I have no idea what they're going to do to her but I need to find her."

Jack spoke up, "We'll find her." He then stood and looked at Sam, "Carter, get on the phone to Barrett, that smarmy bastard has some explaining to do." Sam nodded and left the room; her departure was followed by a blinding white flash from the back of the house not five minutes later.

"What do you want us to do, sir?" asked Mitchell.

Jack looked at him, "Until we know more, nothing. Go home and rest up. We'll contact you when Carter gets back."

"Yes, sir." Mitchell and Carolyn along with Daniel, Vala and baby Liam gathered their things and prepared to leave. "We'll be at the base if you need us, sir."

After they had gone, Jack, Jim and Rick sat down in the living room in a somber silence until Rick spoke again, "I'm sorry, Jim. I broke my promise. I couldn't keep her safe." He buried his face in his hands and Jim moved over to him and patted his shoulder in a fatherly way.

"It's not your fault, son. If it weren't for you, she'd already be dead."

* * *

><p>The two men strapped Kate to an uncomfortable chair in the middle of an abandoned warehouse. The chair was partially reclined, and it reminded her of the beds that were in the gynocologists office. She sat there staring at the tank full of water and a strange eel-like creature that was swimming around inside of it.<p>

"What is that?" she asked. She was frightened but tried not to let her voice betray her feelings.

The first man answered her, "That is our version of the truth syrum."

Her eyes widened, "What are you going to do with it?"

The man motioned to his partner, the one with the Zat, to walk over to the tank. "Show her." He opened the lid of the tank and put his hand in it and grabbed a hold of the creature and walked over to Kate.

"Turn her around." The first man unstrapped Kate and turned her over so that she was lying on her stomach and moved her away from the back of her neck. He then placed the creature on top of her back; the creature's eyes glowed as it reared it's head and burrowed into the back of Kate's neck. She let out a blood curtling scream before succumbing to unconsciousness.

"Put her into a cell until the Director is ready to question her," the first man ordered as he walked into the darkeness of the warehouse.

* * *

><p><strong>*ducks for cover* I didn't mean to leave this chapter here but it seemed like the best place. And now I'm going to make you wait two weeks for the next one. Yeah, I'm evil. But thank you to those following this story. <strong>

**Sam**


	6. Chapter 5: Completely different

**I had an awesome time visiting with my nieces and I even managed to write up a new chapter. Hooray!  
>Just a quick thing, the Goa'uld that is in Kate is just a larva and is unable to fully take control of her body when she is conscious. If you remember the season 6 episode of SG-1 'Nightwalkers' where the town all had Goa'ulds in them but had no idea. Same thing happening here.<strong>

**BIG thank you to Courtney for being my quote lackey... part of this comes from 'Moebius Pt 1', 'Disclosure' and 'McKay and Mrs Miller.' You'll know which bit when you read it. **

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed or placed this on alert. It means a great deal to me. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5: And now for something completely different<strong>

It was about midnight and Jack and Sam sat with Jim and Rick in their living room. Rick couldn't sleep; it had been over a day since Kate had been kidnapped and there had not been any demand for ransom. On top of that, Jack and his team had so far come up empty and Agent Barrett was still tracking down leads. One consolation was that Rick now had a name for the group responsible; The Trust. He still had no idea who was behind it but it was at least something.

"The thing with the Trust is that one one will be able to take them out completely," Sam explained to them. "They are a dangerous organisation with a lot of contacts and endless resources. We've thought we'd had them numerous times but they just keep turning up."

"There's got to be some way to destroy them. Instead o an outward attack on them, have you tried going from the inside?" Rick asked.

"We got rid of Kinsey. We thought that was internal enough. Guess we were wrong," Jack replied.

Rick was shocked, "Vice President Kinsey?"

"Was there another?" Jack asked sarcastically which earned him a slap on the arm from his wife. "Sorry," he apologised quietly.

"How high up does this thing actually go?" asked Jim nervously from his seat in the corner.

Sam looked at him sympathetically, "Honestly, we don't know. We flush out a few and more pop up in their place. They have infiltrated our government, the military and even the police force. They want our technological advancements to be public knowledge and want to rule the world by using people's fears. They will stop at nothing to get that."

Rick was curious, "What do you mean by 'technological advancements'? I have a guy in the FBI who shows me all the latest developments. What could you have that we don't already know about?"

Sam looked at Jack, "Can we tell them?"

Jack sighed and ran a hand through his silver hair, "I'll have my office send over non-disclosure forms in the morning. We can give them the tour then."

Rick's eyes lit up for the first time in over twenty-four hours, "Non-disclosure? Tour? What's going on?"

"Well Dick, after tomorrow you'll be changing writing genres," Jack stated as he stood up. "Get some sleep. You're going to need it." He left the room and Sam followed behind him, stoppin as she passed the other men.

"We'll get her back; you'll just have to trust us."

Both men nodded and headed off to bed themselves, knowing that they wouldn't really get much anyway.

* * *

><p>Kate felt herself stir awake; it was a strange sensation. It was like she was dreaming. She was consciously aware of her surroundings but not really able to put any thought into actions.<br>Half an hour later, she was awake completely and she felt fully cognisant. She didn't remember much- fragments mostly. She remembered the barbeque and bits of the ride to where ever the hell she was, but nothing after that. Her neck hurt and she had a splittingheadache. Kate rubbed the back of her neck with her hand and found a scar that hadn't been there before. Suddenly her mind flashed; it was a memory. She saw the creature in the tank and she remembered the feeling as it burrowed into her body.

Kate felt sick; she ran over to the bucket that had been placed in her cell and vomited up the entire contents of her stomach. Ten minutes later she laid herself against the cooless of the concrete floor, wiping the tears from her eyes. She had no idea how long she had been in the cell for or what her captors wanted from her. The only thing she was certain of was that Rick was coming for her.

* * *

><p>At 8am the next morning, Jack, Rick and Jim made their way down to sub-level 26 of the Cheyenne Mountain Complex.<p>

"I though this was a missile silo?" Rick asked.

"It was, before 1996 anyway. Now it houses so much more, "Jack replied.

When they reached the bottom, the elevator doors opened and Sam was standing outside waiting for them, dressed in her khaki fatigues and a black t-shirt.

"Welcome to sub-level 26. Daniel is waiting for you in the briefing room," she told the three men.

"Do I have to sit through this again?" Jack whined.

Sam smiled at her husband, "Afraid so," she replied. "Come on."

Rick and Jim tagged along behind her as Jack moved in step with her. "How many times will this be now? It can't have changed dramatically in all this time."

"It's not that bad," Sam told him.

"For you, maybe." Sam rolled her eyes at him.

ooooooooooooooo

The blast shields surrounding the Gate Room were shut, preparing for the big reveal. In the briefing room waiting for them along with Daniel was Vala, Teal'c and Cam.

"Take a seat." Sam motioned to Rick and Jim and they found two empty seats around the large table. "You know everyone here, of course?" Both men nodded.

Everyone was dressed in their khaki fatigues while Jack was in his dress blues as he was a 'visiting dignitary' to the SGC.

"Now before we start, if you want to continue working on Kate's case, you need to sign these." Jack slid over two contracts and pens to Jim and Rick.

"What are they?" Jim asked.

"Non-disclosure forms. Anything you see or hear from this moment on cannot be leaked to anyone," Sam explained.

"Not that they'd believe you anyway," added Jack.

"And what if we don't sign?" Rick asked.

"Then you let us handle Kate's kidnapping and you will never know anything about what went on." Jack was serious.

Rick picked up the pen quickly, "Where do I sign?"

Once both contracts had been signed Daniel stood up and turned off the lights and started the projector.

"Gentlemen. The Stargate." A picture of the Stargate popped up onto the projector. "This device was found in Egypt in 1928 where it had been laying for thousands of years. In 1945, a team of scientists hoping to find military application for the devce successfully established a stable wormhole by randomly dialling a series of codes." A video played of Ernest Littlefield being placed in his underwater diving gear and being sent through the Stargate. Rick and Jim sat looking astounded. "This was a lucky accident which they weren't able to repeat. The Stargate thus remained inactive, that is until fifteen years ago when I got it working again." Daniel stood proud as he said that. "I was able to decipher the symbols on the Gate, which then allowed us to begin exploration of alien worlds." Daniel hit another button and the projector shut off, the light switched back on and the blast shields were raised. Rick and Jim stood and walked over to the window and stared in amazement.

Rick looked at Sam, "How does it work?"

Jack groaned, "Oy."

Sam grinned, "The Stargate allows for instantaneous travel between large distances by acting as a bridge between two points in space. It's as if space literally folds in half."

Jack was shocked, "It took you fifteen years to come up with that simple explanation? Why couldn't you say that the first time?"

She laughed, "I liked to confuse you, sir." She turned back to Rick and Jim, "What do you think?"

Rick was like a kid in a candy store, "This is quite possibly the coolest thing I have ever seen."

"You said alien worlds, right?" Jim asked.

Sam nooded, "Alien worlds, aliens, the whole lot."

"Huh." He just stood there looking at in stunned silence.

"Aliens? Like the James Cameron versions or Gene Roddenberry?"

Vala piped up, "Both. Although, the idea of large blue creatures with weird hair is a little bit disturbing. Not to mention the ones that explode from your chest." She made the exploding movement with her hands.

"Vala!" Daniel chided.

"What? He's the one who asked?" she pouted.

Rick shook his head, "You said technological advancements. Care to share?"

Sam grinned and pulled out a opal coloured oval stone and spoke into it, "Major Marks, four for transport." With that a blinding flash of light engulfed the room and Rick and Jim found themselves on the bridge of a spaceship.

"Gentlemen, welcome aboard the USS Hammond. Earth's front line defensive weapon against its enemies."

They looked around in awe, "Whoa! I so need to start writing science fiction."

Jack clapped him on the back, "Told ya."

* * *

><p>The two men dragged Kate out of her cell and placed her roughly in a chair under a spotlight inside the darkened warehouse. A third man came slowly forward into the light.<p>

"Hello Detective, It's very nice to see you again."

Kate looked up into his eyes, "You!" It was the former mayor of New York Bob McIntyre. He was the man who let Rick shadow her in the first place.

"Yes, me. You looked surprised to see me."

"What do you want?"

"I want what you want, Kate. To tie up loose ends; and you're a loose end," he snarled in her face.

"Go to hell!"

He laughed, "I'm already going there, Kate, I just want you to join me."

"Why? What did I ever do?"

"You dug too deep, my dear Detective. The Trust doesn't like people who snoop. You were too close to finding them out, so we had to act. You understand, right?" He stroked her cheek and she jerked her head away from him.

"Too close to what?"

Bob shook his head, "Don't play dumb with me. I know that you and Ricky were onto us. Roy should never have sent you that information. Because of him you're going to work for me."

"What makes you think I'm ever going to work for you?"

He laughed again, "You remember what we put into you?" Kate nodded nervously. "That's our version of the control collar. You won't even know you're doing our bidding."

Kate shrunk back into her seat, "What do you want with me?"

"All in good time, Detective. All in good time." Bob motioned to the two men. "Take her back to her cell."

They dumped Kate onto the hard concrete of her prison. She couldn't bring herself to move, so she lay there with her eyes closed and started to pray.

_Please Rick. Find me. Don't give up._

* * *

><p><strong>So, what did you think? I hope it was worth the wait. I'll try and keep updating as much as I can. <strong>


	7. Chapter 6: Plans

**Sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I've been super busy with work and uni has just started back up. I've also been writing other stuff. Oh and I finally have a new laptop so I can actually write and save my work. It's very exciting. I love getting my tax return. **

**Chapter 6: Plans**

_Previously on "A Matter of Trust": Rick and Jim were beamed up to the Hammond and Kate found out that the former Mayor of New York was behind her mother's murder._

_And now, the continuation…_

* * *

><p>"You said that this was the front line defense of Earth." Rick stated as he continued to look around the bridge of the <em>Hammond.<em> Jack nodded, "What is it defending us from?"

Jack turned to Daniel, "Daniel, you want to tell them? Or should I?"

Daniel folded his arms, "I think you should, you always put it so eloquently."

"Thank you." Jack turned back to Rick, "We're protecting Earth against alien forces that want to either a) enslave us or b) kill us."

"And which of these have Kate?"

"The ones that want to enslave us. Sort of," Daniel answered.

Rick narrowed his eyes at the man, "What do you mean, 'sort of'?"

"The aliens that want to enslave-slash-destroy us have been defeated. They were a parasitic race that infect their hosts and make them megalomaniacs hell bent on ruling the galaxy."

Jack rolled his eyes, "Is that all they were?"

Daniel sighed, "As I was saying, these Goa'uld have been defeated but there are a few that remain. Their forces aren't strong so they are staying in hiding. The Trust- the people that have Kate- has made alliances with some of these remaining Goa'ulds."

"Have you been able to find out why they want Kate?"

Sam spoke up, "Not yet. Agent Barrett said he was going to get back to me today. Last time we spoke he said he was close to finding the information he needed."

"So we just have to sit and wait?" Jim asked, breaking his long silence, no longer content in sitting back and letting Rick do all the talking.

"For the moment, yes," Sam replied. "We know it's tough, but you have to understand that we have been in situations like this before. We're not going in blind. "

Jim and Rick let out a collective sigh; they knew that it was going to be a long wait.

* * *

><p>When Kate woke up she found herself in the cot in the bed; her whole body ached as if she had gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson and lost.<p>

_What the hell? _She thought to herself. She gingerly sat up and looked around the cell for any clues as to what may have occurred while she was unconscious. When she found nothing out of place, she slumped back down onto the bed and flung her right arm over her eyes. She was tired of crying, but she was so emotionally drained that her tears just fell out of her eyes.

Kate lay there for some time until she heard the door unlock and then open. A tray of food was slid through the opening. Kate turned her head and looked at the food; it didn't seem appetizing, but the growl of her stomach told her that she needed to eat. The door slammed shut as quickly as it was opened, and Kate crawled off the cot and over to the food. It was bread and water but Kate devoured it as if it were Rick's famous roast chicken. When she was done, she moved to sit with her back against the wall that was opposite the door; she needed to regain her strength enough to overpower whoever it was that came to get her dishes. Kate needed to escape.

* * *

><p>Rick and Jim were given the full tour of the <em>Hammond<em> by Jack and Daniel. Rick noticed that these two men were similar to Ryan and Esposito in that they were practically brothers. The difference being Jack and Daniel had almost fifteen years of close camaraderie; facing death together nearly every day ensured that.

When they returned to the bridge, Sam was there waiting for them.

"Barrett has found where they're keeping Kate," she said by way of greeting.

"Where?" both Rick and Jim asked simultaneously.

"In an abandoned warehouse just outside of Albuquerque."

"Oi," Jack rolled his eyes again. "How cliché. Why do they have to be so cliché?"

Sam chose to ignore his comment and went on, "Barrett has given us coordinates and a layout of the warehouse."

"How many men are in there?" Rick asked.

"He couldn't get an exact figure but he said anywhere from fifteen to twenty. All armed."

"You got a plan, Carter?"

"Working on it, sir. I'll let you know within the hour."

Jack nodded, "Get to work, we'll reconvene at…" he took a look at his watch, "…at 1600 in the briefing room at the SGC."

"Yes, sir." Sam turned to Major Marks, "Beam them back, Major."

"Yes, ma'am." Marks punched a few buttons and Rick and Jim were engulfed in a bright light along with Jack and Daniel. They rematerialized in the same spot they had left from. Jim shook his head, "That was weird."

Jack turned to Rick and Jim and clapped his hands together, "Who wants pie?"

The four men, plus Teal'c sat in the commissary quietly talking together while sampling a variety of desserts the military base had to offer. Over the years, the caterers had gotten used to the different requests that were continually made by the officers and had them put on the regular menu.

"So, Jim, how have you been?" Jack asked trying to get the man to not think about the dire situation his daughter was in.

Jim took a mouthful of his apple pie, and after swallowing, he replied, "Good, Jack. Really good. How about yourself?"

Jack shrugged, "Can't complain." Jack turned to Rick, "So, Dick, Teal'c tells me you write books. They any good?"

"I'd like to think so. Twenty-seven best sellers and counting. I have to be doing something right?"

Jack was about to reply when Master Sergeant Walter Harriman's voice came over the PA, "SG-1 to the briefing room ASAP. SG-1 to the briefing room." He dropped his spoon onto his plate.

"Let's go." The five men pushed themselves out their chairs and headed out of the commissary, determined looks on all their faces.

SGSGSG

In attendance at the briefing were all of SG-1, Jack, Rick, Jim, Landry and the leader of SG-2 (the Marine unit) and SG-5. Sam outlined their plan to rescue Kate.

"Our plan of attack is simple, SG-2 will go in and take out those guarding the outside; should be no more than five men. Then SG-5 will go in from the back and SG-1 from the front." She pulled up the blueprints of the warehouse, "We believe Kate is being held somewhere in these small rooms at the back." Sam pointed to them, "We need to get her out as quickly and as quietly as possible. When we have her, we'll have to get her out of the warehouse before we can beam her out."

"Why can't we just beam her out now?" Rick asked.

"The Trust have placed a dampening field around the warehouse. We aren't able to penetrate it. Once we have Kate up on the _Hammond, _Dr. Lam will examine her."

"And then what?" Jim queried.

Sam looked at him straight in the eyes, "Hope it's not too late for us to save her life."

Rick didn't like Sam's cryptic answer, "What's that supposed to mean?" Everyone fell silent, "What aren't you telling us?" he was getting angry, "I want an answer now!" Rick slammed his fist down on the table.

Sam shot a quick glance to Jack who reluctantly nodded, "Kate's been implanted with a Goa'uld. We need to get it out of her as quickly as possible if we want to have any chance of success."

Rick collapsed back in his chair and Jim paled. This was not how they wanted it to go.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, this is it for this chapter. The next one will be the rescue. There's probably another 3-4 chapters left of this story. I hope to have it completed within the next couple of weeks.<strong>

**If it pleases you so, please leave a review. I love knowing what you guys think. **


	8. Chapter 7: Rescue

**Good morning campers! I need to correct myself a little here; the Marine Unit is SG-3 not 2. Very sorry about that folks. Thanks for continuing to read and review, I appreciate every single one of your responses. Oh and Marie, if you're reading this… HI! This chapter is for you. **

**This chapter has a lot more Kate in it, so if you've been missing her, this is her time to shine.**

**EDIT: Had to add a couple extra lines to the end, to make it sound more 'Jack-like'.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: Rescue<strong>

Kate sat and watched and waited; she was given thee meals a day and each time and by her estimate, the door would open a maximum of thirteen inches. She knew she had to bide her time if her plan of escape would come to fruition. Kate never allowed herself to fully fall asleep; she couldn't let the parasite that had invaded her body to take over her mind.

Her kidnappers hadn't returned for her after that first day, so by midday on the third day, she had formulated a rough plan of escape. She sat on her cot, staring at the thick metal door, waiting patiently for her lunch to arrive. When Kate heard the sound of footsteps coming closer and the clinking of metal keys together, she jumped up from her cot and rushed over to the door. Surprise was the key element. She stood slightly back from the door with her hand out, ready to catch it as it opened.

Kate held her breath and as the door hit the palm of her hand, she grasped it, swung herself around and yanked it open in one swift move. The suited man was startled and staggered back; Kate took the opportunity to aim a roundhouse kick to the side of his head. The man slumped to the ground and food splattered on top of him. Kate quickly knelt beside him and armed herself with his sidearm. She ran down the long corridor in search of a way out; when she reached an intersection, she didn't know whether to go left or right. She stood in silence until she heard gunfire coming from the left. Kate rocked on her heels slightly before pivoting herself and dashing towards the sounds of bullets being shot.

She ran with her gun pointing in front of her; always ready to defend. Kate came to an open area of the warehouse; it was scattered with crates that were stacked over seven feet high. She heard the sounds of flash bombs being released and saw the signs of smoke being freed from the confines of their canisters. Kate quickly pressed her back to one of the crates and covered her nose and mouth with her thin t-shirt. Only one thing was on her mind: survival. She knew she had to get out of there, and fast.

Peeking her head around the side of the crate, she saw the smoke coming closer towards her, but beyond that was a bright light emanating from an open roller door. There was about a twenty-yard gap between the last crate and that door and about forty more from her spot to that last crate. Sixty yards; in bare feet, through blinding smoke and a barrage of bullets that seemed to be never ending: piece of cake.

Kate took a deep breath and steeled herself, took another quick look at her next target crate, closed her eyes and ran. Time seemed to stop and it felt like an eternity before she hit her cover that was about ten yards away. The bullets seemed to have stopped for the moment and she took the opportunity to repeat her process. Finally she made it to her last crate; it was time for the mad dash out the door to freedom. Her heart rate quickened and she tried to calm herself down. _You can do it, Kate, _she told herself. _Do it for Rick, do it for mom. You can do it. _She repeated the chant over and over until she was safely outside.

She kept running, as fast as her tired legs could carry her; she was running on pure adrenaline now. Then she saw it, blue sky. Kate stumbled out onto the bitumen and scrambled to find a safe hiding place. She had no idea where she was or where to go, so she moved around to the far side of the building. As she rounded the corner, she noticed a man burst through the side door, doubled over and coughing. It was Former-Mayor Bob McIntyre. Kate raised her gun and pointed it directly at him.

"Freeze!" she yelled and he halted instantly. Kate came up behind him and put the barrel of the gun to the back of his neck. "So nice to see you again, Mr. Mayor. I believe you and I have some things to discuss." Her voice was even and calm and Bob slowly turned around with his hands raised in surrender.

"Detective Beckett, how nice to see you again." He grinned a slimy grin, "I hope your accommodations were to your satisfaction."

Kate narrowed her eyes at him and backhanded him across the face with her gun. His head whipped to the left and Bob spat out a couple of his teeth that she had knocked out of his mouth, along with a spray of blood.

"You'll pay for that, you bitch," he threatened as he recovered himself slowly.

Kate cocked the gun and pointed it straight between his eyes, "No, I think you're the one who is going to pay, but not before you answer some questions."

Bob spat out another load of blood and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, "What makes you think I'm going to tell you anything?" he snarled.

"If you won't answer my questions, I know a few people who were in the black-ops that may want to ask you some instead?" she gave him a small shrug as if to say _'your choice'_. "So now, why did you order the hit on my mother?"

Bob sighed, "She got too close."

"Too close to what?"

"The truth." Kate cocked her head to the side, her eyes glaring at him, telling him to explain further. "She found out about the we were doing and realised how high up it went. We had to take her out before she could leak it to the press."

"How high does this go?" Kate demanded.

"Right up to the Secretary of Defense. The mobsters we took out had ties, not only to the Italian mafia, but the Russian one as well. They were supplying Russia with weapons, money and information to plan an attack on the US." He paused, "We had to stop them by any means necessary. Your mother was collateral damage."

Kate's eyes blazed with anger and she backhanded him again; he fell to the ground, coughing up more blood and teeth, "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you now?"

Bob looked up at her and stared directly into her eyes, "Because you're not a murderer."

Kate aimed the gun at his head, "I may not be a murderer, but I am a big fan of justice." She quickly adjusted her aim towards his right shoulder and pulled the trigger. Bob screamed out in pain as he tried to put pressure on his wound.

"You bitch!" he spat.

Kate continued to aim the gun at him for what seemed like an eternity; it wasn't until she heard her name being called that she shook herself out of her daze.

"Kate! Kate!" It was Rick. Kate turned her head to see him rush towards her. Following him was her Uncle Jack and the rest of his friends. Rick pried the gun from her hands and he handed it over to Colonel Mitchell. She saw Teal'c hoist Bob up by his collar, and question as to what to do with him. Kate crumbled into Rick's arms and he slowly brought her down to the ground with him, holding her tightly to his chest. He kissed her forehead softly and whispered reassuringly in her ear, "You're ok, Kate. You're safe."

Jack looked down at the couple, "We've gotta get her to the _Hammond."_

Castle nodded in understanding and he kissed her softly again, "Kate, honey, we have to get up so that we get you to a doctor. Are you ok to walk?"

"Yeah," she murmured into his chest and she slowly pulled herself up off Rick and made her way over to the rest of the group. There were about fifteen soldiers in total, as well as a few men that had been captured as prisoners. Rick walked closely behind her as they all moved to the designated extraction site.

Sam tapped her radio, "Carter to the _Hammond."_

"Go ahead, Colonel," Major Marks replied.

"Transport when you're ready."

"Acknowledged, Colonel. Transporting now."

The bright light engulfed the entire group and they all found themselves back on the spaceship that was orbiting the earth.

Jack stepped away from them all and dished out orders; "Scott, you and SG-3 take the prisoners to the brig. Make sure they're separated. And take that treacherous bastard to the infirmary, I don't want him bleeding out all over my ship," he ordered, pointing to the former mayor. Major Scott nodded and he and his team herded out the men. "SG-5, good work. Head back down to the SGC and we'll debrief at 0900 tomorrow." There were 'yes, sirs' all around as they left.

All that remained was SG-1, Castle and Beckett and Jack turned to Sam, "You and Castle take Kate down to the infirmary so that Dr. Lam can have a look at her. The rest of you hit the showers and go home. Tomorrow is when all the fun starts."

* * *

><p><strong>So there is that chapter. So you have two choices for the next chapter, you can either have a) SG-1's version of the rescue or b) the rest of the story and why Kate never really was under the full control of the symbiote…it's more than the fact that it was only a larvae. If there are no requests then I'll just continue on with Plan B.<strong>

**:-) Sam**


	9. Chapter 8: Complications

**So if you'll remember, the Goa'uld that is inside of Kate is only a larvae but there is more to the reason why it hasn't been able to take over, even when she was sleeping. That will all be explained in this chapter. This is fairly dialogue heavy so bear with me. **

**Thanks everyone for reading. **

**This chapter is dedicated to Jess, my pee-pod twin; our mind link still works over 10,000 miles of land and ocean. Can't wait 'til December! **_**"I can't be anything without you, don't you know?...Cos we go together just like jam and bread but maybe birds of a feather."**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: Complications<strong>

Sam beamed back down to the SGC with Kate and Rick in tow. They made their way to the infirmary where Dr. Lam was waiting for them to arrive.

"What have we got Colonel?" Carolyn asked as the trio walked into the infirmary and ushered Kate over to a spare bed.

"Possible Goa'uld insertion. It's hard to sense so I'm guessing it's only in larvae form," Sam replied. She watched Rick move over to where Kate was and held her hand tightly.

"Is she going to be ok?" he asked.

Carolyn patted him reassuringly on the arm, "That's my job to find out. We just have to see what we're dealing with." She walked over to the opposite side of Rick and started to examine Kate. "How are you feeling?" She was just asking the routine questions to start with.

"Fine," replied Kate.

"Any headaches?"

Kate nodded, "A little one. It's not too bad."

"Have you passed out at all? Lost any memory?" Carolyn asked

She thought for a moment before answering, "I only passed out after they put that thing in me. I haven't since then, and I'm pretty sure I remember everything?"

Carolyn took note, "Have you had any sleep?"

"I had about five hours a night. It was only light though."

"Ok. Any nausea?"

"Not today. I threw up a couple days ago though," Kate answered. "They injected me with something and it made me sick."

"Ok." She jotted down a few more things before she continued, "I'm going to get a nurse to draw some blood and run a few tests before we do any sort of scan on you. I want to know what it was." Carolyn placed her hand warmly on Kate's knee. "Just sit tight for a bit ok?"

Kate nodded and leant back on the bed; it wasn't the most comfortable thing she had ever slept on, but after only having that little cot for the last few days, she was glad for the bed.

Carolyn spoke to the nurse on duty for a moment before she motioned for Rick and Sam to join her in her office.

"What's the diagnosis, doc?" Rick asked worriedly.

"So far I see no signs of a Goa'uld take-over of her body. It's like her body has rejected its presence."

"How is that possible?" Rick queried, "You said that when those things enter the body, the thing takes over completely."

Sam was quick to reply; "We've seen before that if a larvae Goa'uld enters a human, they can only take over when the host goes to sleep. They aren't strong enough to take over a conscious mind."

"But Kate said she remembers everything. That to me sounds like it hasn't been able to take over her unconscious mind either."

"He has a point," Carolyn said to Sam, "She's not sleep deprived; despite her ordeal she said she was able to sleep, albeit not a deep one."

Sam sat on the edge of the desk and tried to come up with an explanation for it all. The office was deathly silent for about twenty seconds before she took a deep breath and spoke up, "I think I know why it hasn't been able to take over."

Rick and Carolyn looked at her as if to urge her to continue, post haste. "I think Kate could be pregnant?"

"What?" Rick exclaimed. "Pregnant? How did you come to that conclusion?"

"It's happened before. Daniel's wife, Sha're, was taken by Apophis and implanted with the Goa'uld, Amaunet. She got pregnant and when that happened, her body started to fight the symbiote inside of her. It was her body's way of protecting the baby and Sha're was able to be in control. The Goa'uld had none at all."

"I remember reading that report. The child was the Harsesis, wasn't it?" Carolyn asked.

"Yes," Sam replied.

Rick shook his head, "That's all well and good, but how are we going to get that thing out of Kate, and how will it affect the baby?"

Carolyn sighed, "I'm not sure. We do have the means to extract the symbiote but I have no idea what affect that will have on a baby. I'll need to run tests to see how far along she is. Until we get those results, we just have to wait."

Sam stood up from the desk, "I'll get General Landry to contact the Tok'ra, see if they have any insight they can provide."

Carolyn nodded, "I'll get to work on those tests."

Rick let out a frustrated sigh, "Can someone bring her dad in? I think he'd like to see her."

Sam smiled, "Sure. I'll get Jack to beam down with him."

Rick shoved his hands in his pockets, "Thanks." He made his way over to where Kate was lying. He sat down in the chair next to her, picked up her left hand and kissed it softly. Kate smiled softly at him.

"Hey, handsome. How are you?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"Nah, doc's already asked those questions. I want to know what you've been up to in my absence."

He grinned, "Oh you know, got shown around a top secret base, got beamed up to a space ship. The usual."

Kate chuckled, "Sounds interesting. Looks like my Uncle Jack is more of a hero than he let on."

"You can say that. He's a force to be reckoned with. I'm just glad he's on our side."

A voice from behind the couple piped up, "You talking about me again, Katie-girl?"

Kate shook her head, "No, we were talking about another kick ass Air Force officer."

Jack moved into the room with Jim close behind him. "I know a few of them, anyone I may know?"

"Probably not. He's really old."

"Hey!" Jack brought his hand to his chest and feigned hurt.

Kate let out a small laugh and a smile lit up her face. Rick loved when she smiled; it was so bright that it could illuminate an entire room. Kate looked past Jack and saw her father and he smile grew larger, "Hey, dad." She stretched out her right arm and gestured for him to come around to her other side. He took a hold of her other hand and squeezed it gently.

"How are you feeling, Katie?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Just waiting on tests and stuff before we can go any further."

"That's good. I was worried."

Kate dropped her head to her chest, "I'm sorry."

Jim shook his head, "It's not your fault. You're safe now."

"Yeah. It's just-if I didn't keep digging, none of this would have happened."

He sighed, "Katie, if you didn't keep digging then we wouldn't finally have our answers. You did good, kid."

"Thanks, dad."

The four sat and talked for a while until Dr. Lam came back, holding a folder in her arms. She flicked it open to her spot and looked up at the 'family'.

"So I have the results from your blood tests back," she looked at Rick, "Have you told her anything?" He shook his head. She now addressed the whole group, "Ok, so the drug that was injected into Kate was ketamine, but it wasn't a large dose, just enough to be an anaesthetic. That would most likely explain your nausea, but on top of that we tested the hCG levels in your blood. The levels indicated that you are about eight weeks pregnant."

Kate sat up in shock, "Pregnant? Are you sure?"

Carolyn nodded, "Positive. It was the only reason that we could think of as to why the Goa'uld inside of you hasn't been able to take control, even when you've been asleep. The baby is protecting itself and you."

Rick refused to meet the eyes of Jim or Jack for fear that the two men may gang up on him and kill him for getting Kate pregnant. "So what's the next step?" he asked.

"Colonel Carter is trying to get into contact with the Tok'ra to see what they can do. Their extraction process is simple enough, but until they get here, we're not sure what can be done while Kate is pregnant."

"Doc, is there a chance that Kate will have to go full term before we can extract the thing?" Jack asked from the corner.

Carolyn nodded, "It's definitely a possibility. If that's the case, we will have keep her closely monitored, but we'll cross that bridge when and if we get to it. Until then, there's nothing more we can do."

"Thank you, doctor," Jim said as he smiled warmly at Carolyn, knowing that she was doing the best that she could.

When Carolyn left, Jim turned to Kate and pulled her into a tight hug, "Congratulations, Katie. You're going to be a great mom."

Kate hid her face in the side of her father's neck, "Thank you, daddy. Just don't kill Rick."

Jim laughed and pulled back from her, "I promise." He looked at Rick who was sitting in his chair sheepishly and he held out his hand. Rick took ahold and shook it, "Congratulations, son. You look after them, ok?"

Rick nodded his head profusely, "Yes, sir."

Next it was Jack's turn to scare Rick. He looked the younger man in the eyes, "Do you know how many ways I can kill a man?"

Rick gulped, "No, sir."

"Well here's hoping you never have to find out."

"Yes, sir." He wasn't having fun at all and his face had gone as white as a ghost. Kate took pity on him and laughed.

"Leave him alone, guys. Remember that he wasn't alone in creating this baby."

Both Jim and Jack paled, "Don't ever talk about that Katie-girl. You're still that cute little six year old girl with pig-tails." Jack was in denial and Rick and Kate laughed at the two older men.

Jim stood and kissed Kate on the forehead, "On that note, we should go and let you get some sleep."

Kate smiled, "Ok. Night dad, Jack." Jack nodded his head and left the infirmary, not before giving Rick a death glare on his way out. Jim walked past Rick and gave him a clap on the shoulder and a warm smile.

When they left Rick let out the breath that he was holding and looked at Kate and grinned, "So, a baby. How do you feel about that?"

"Scared out of my mind but ecstatic. What about you?" she asked.

"The same. I just can't believe there's a little person growing inside of you. I never thought I'd get the chance to be a father again."

"Happy to help. Now come here." Kate grabbed ahold of Rick's arm in an attempt to get him to sit on the bed with her. When he climbed in beside her, she curled up into his chest and placed a soft kiss where his hear was. "You know I had hoped that we'd be at least engaged before you knocked me up."

Rick looked down at the woman in his arms intently, "Was that a proposal?"

She shrugged, "Take it as you will."

"Well if it was, it definitely left something the be desired," he joked, "Where's all the pomp and circumstance? Where's the _romance!_"

Kate started to laugh, "You're such a girl."

"I'm hurt!" he cried before holding her tighter.

"If you're so hurt, why don't you show me how it's done?"

He humphed, "I think I'll do just that." He freed his left arm from his grip and dug around in his pocket for a little bit before he pulled it out and produced a simple princess cut diamond on a thin, platinum band. Kate gasped in surprise when he held it in front of her. "I've had this in my pocket since we left New York. I was just waiting for the right time to give it to you. I know this isn't the most romantic spot in the world, but when you were kidnapped, it was the scariest moment of my life. I didn't know if I was ever going to see you again and the only regret I had was that I never got to see you walk down the aisle. So, Katherine Beckett, will make me the happiest man in the world and be my wife and the mother of my children. I want to be your one and done; always."

By the time Rick had finished his proposal, Kate had tears rolling down her face, "Yes. Nothing would make me happier." Rick slipped the ring onto her finger and shifted his head closer to hers and kissed her passionately. He held her face in his hands as she caressed his sides under his shirt. Before it got too heated, they reluctantly pulled apart and rested their foreheads together. "I love you, Rick."

"I love you, too."

* * *

><p><strong>So there you have that chapter folks. I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter will see the Tok'ra. I'll hopefully have this story wrapped up in the next couple chapters. If there's anything you want to see in it, feel free to drop me a line and I'll see if I can work it into the story.<strong>

**Sam **


	10. Chapter 9: You're from where, exactly?

**Thanks to everyone who has read this little story. I appreciate your support. After this chapter there will be one more, which will be an epilogue of sorts. **

**I started writing this when I was sick and then I got swamped with assignments, so I haven't been able to even touch it. I apologise profusely for such a long delay.**

* * *

><p><em>Previously on 'A Matter of Trust': Kate was rescued and found out that she was pregnant. Her and Rick got engaged and now they are now waiting for the Tok'ra to arrive so that they can get the Goa'uld out of Kate.<em>

**Chapter 9: You're from where, exactly?**

"Unscheduled off-world activation," Chief Master Sergeant Walter Harriman called out as the klaxons blared and the iris swirled closed. General Landry came and stood behind him.

"Who is it, Chief?" he asked.

Walter looked down at his computer screen. "IDC coming in now, sir. It's the Tok'ra."

Landry nodded, "Open the iris," he told him as he made his way down to the embarkation room.

The iris opened and out of the wormhole stepped Anise and another Tok'ra along with her.

"Welcome to Earth, I'm General Landry."

"I am Anise and this is Jovan," she replied indicating the man beside her. "I had heard that the matter you summoned us for was important. Shall we get started?"

Landry smiled at her forwardness, "Of course. If you'll follow me to the briefing room, we can get started."

* * *

><p>Everyone, minus Jim and Kate, was already seated at the briefing room table. Jim decided that he didn't want to know the whole particulars concerning Kate; the whole kidnapping, alien parasite and pregnancy was all too much for him to handle. Jack and Rick had promised to keep him updated on everything and he chose to spend his day in the VIP quarters that had been set up for him.<p>

When everyone was introduced, the meeting got underway. "Your message sounded urgent, General Landry, how can the Tok'ra be of assistance to you?" Anise asked.

"A few days ago, The Trust kidnapped Detective Beckett and she was implanted with a larvae Goa'uld. We were successful in retrieving her, but we have no way to remove the Goa'uld, and we were hoping that you would be able to help out."

Anise looked at Doctor Lam, "Has the Goa'uld been able to take over her body in any way?"

Carolyn shook her head, "No. Not that I know of. Detective Beckett is pregnant, and we believe that is the reason why the Goa'uld hasn't been able to take over."

"And how did you come to this conclusion?" Anise sat back in her chair and folded her hands together in front of her on the table.

Daniel spoke up, "When Sha're was pregnant, the Goa'uld inside of her was no longer in control of her."

"I see. I shall speak to the council members and they will determine how we will proceed."

Anise stood up from her chair and turned to leave the room; as she did so, Rick jumped up and called out. "I don't know who you think you are? My fiancé has been implanted with some parasite and you have a way to help her, but you have to see the council about it before you can actually so something?"

Anise swiveled around to see Rick's face flushed with anger with Jack pulling on his arm to settle him back down on his seat, looking at him sternly. Rick huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, conceding to allowing Jack to take over. "I have to say I'm with Rick on this one. After everything we have done for you, you have to think this over? Kate is innocent in all of this; her and her family don't deserve to be dragged into the interstellar pissing contest our two governments seem to have found themselves in." He leaned forward and stared intently at Anise; lowering his voice he continued, "You're going let my men escort you down to the infirmary and you're going to take Kate and get that damned snake out of her."

Anise paled slightly before recovering and nodding. "As you wish, General."

Both Tok'ra were followed out of the briefing room by two SFs and Doctor Lam as the rest of the group stood and went their separate ways; Rick and Jack headed down to the infirmary, with a detour to pick up Jim.

"So? What did they say? Are they able to help Katie?" Jim asked as they walked down one of the many corridors that made up the SGC.

"Hopefully," Jack replied. "We won't know until they've seen her."

"Thank you, Jack."

Jack shook his head, "Don't thank me. Thank Dick over here, he was about to rip the slimy snake a new one if they didn't help Kate there and then."

Jim smiled, "Well thank you both."

The three men entered the infirmary to see Anise and Doctor Lam standing on opposite sides of Kate's bed, looking over charts and ultrasounds. Anise looked up at them, "General, I believe that it will be possible for us to remove the larvae Goa'uld without any harm to either mother or child."

Jack clapped his hands together, "Great, so when do you want to leave? I can have SG-1 geared up in ten."

"I must send a message to the council before I give you a definite answer. They do not like it when unexpected visitors arrive unannounced."

"Right," he looked around the room and found the other Tok'ra standing in the corner awkwardly. Jack moved over to him and clapped him on the shoulder, "Why don't I take Jason here up to the control room and we can get started on that message."

"My name is Jovan."

Jack waved his hand dismissively, "Right, whatever. So what do you say Anise? How 'bout we get this show on the road quick smart."

Anise nodded towards Jovan before turning back to Jack, "We will leave as soon as the council replies."

"Great." Jack and Jovan left the infirmary leaving Rick and Jim with the three women.

Kate piped up in confusion, "We're going where, exactly?"

To one of the Tok'ra's base planets in the Solaris system," Anise replied nonchalantly.

"P-planet?" Kate's eyes widened as she spluttered, "And how pray tell are we going to get there?"

"Through the Stargate, of course," Anise was getting confused as to why Kate was asking these questions.

"I'm sorry Kate," Carolyn interrupted, "I thought the General was going to fill you in." She looked up at Anise, "Don't say anything until I can get someone down here to explain everything." She turned and headed for her office as Anise went back to studying the charts from the end of Kate's bed.

Kate looked at Rick who was grinning; he had moved next to her when Carolyn vacated. "What aren't you telling me, Rick?"

Rick let out one of his patented squeals as he fisted his hand near his mouth and bit down on his thumb, "This is going to blow your mind, Kate. Seriously, it's the coolest thing ever."

Kate rolled her eyes at him and crossed her arms, "If it's so cool, Mr. Castle, why won't you tell me?"

"Not allowed to. It's one of those 'If I tell you, I'd have to kill you things'." She narrowed her eyes and let them bore into his soul, as if he were one of her perps. Rick put his hands up, "Hey, I swear if I was able to tell you, I would. Doctor Lam said she was getting someone down here to fill you in. You've got to sign a non-disclosure form before they can tell you anything about this place." He picked up her hand in his and squeezed it softly.

The couple and Jim talked amongst themselves for a few minutes until Carolyn came back out of her office. "Colonel Carter said that she would be down here shortly. Just sit tight and we'll get that thing out of you as soon as we can."

Kate smiled, "Thank you."

When Sam came down it took her a good fifteen to twenty minutes to explain to her exactly what happens at the SGC. Kate was in shock.

"You mean to tell me that all of that has been happening for the last fifteen or so years? How many times has the world nearly ended?"

Sam thought for a moment, "Three, four; I really don't keep count. You'll have to ask Teal'c about that, he knows." Seeing Kate's astonishment, Sam continued, "I know this is a lot to take in, but it's not that weird once you get used to it."

"Easy for you to say." Kate ran her hand through her hair, "Anise said I had to go through this Stargate to another planet. It's kind of freaking me out a little," she chuckled softly.

Sam patted her softly on the arm, "You'll be fine. Jack said he was going to go along with you all. The IOA won't let Rick or your father, so Jack will have to do."

Kate nodded, "Thanks, Sam."

"Anytime."

* * *

><p>Later that day, word came through from the Tok'ra council that they were prepared for the extraction. Kate was able to borrow clothes from both Sam and Vala so that she felt presentable enough to travel to another planet. She stood in front of the mirror in the guest quarters she and Rick were given and smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles in the borrowed BDUs.<p>

Rick came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, hands resting on her stomach. "I wish I was coming with you," he whispered softly in her ear.

Kate smiled, "You just want to go to another planet."

"No- well, yes, but that's not the point. The point is, that you're going to another planet and you won't have your partner to watch your back."

Kate twisted in his arms and wrapped her own around his back, resting her head on his shoulder, "I know, and I'm going to miss my partner. But don't forget that I have Uncle Jack to look out for me, and he won't let anything happen to me."

Rick kissed her softly and grinned, "He better not, or who knows what will be coming to him."

Kate laughed, "You do realise that he was special ops and could kill you just by blinking at you a certain way?"

"Again, not the point."

She pulled away from him, "Come on, Ricky, come and see me off." The two left their quarters and walked hand-in-hand towards the embarkation room.

* * *

><p>The two Tok'ra, SG-1, Jack and Kate stood at the bottom of the ramp as Walter initiated the dialing sequence. Kate watched in wonder at the two-story high ring that was spinning before her. As the seventh symbol engaged, the Stargate whooshed to life; taking Kate by surprise she took a gasped and took a step back. She turned around to look up at her father and fiancé observing from the control room window, evidence of tears on their faces. She gave them a tight smile and a small wave. Turning back around she watched the rest of the group walk up the ramp and into the pool of blue 'water'.<p>

Jack guided her by the arm until they came to the edge, "You ready for this Katie-girl?" he asked as she stared wide-eyed at the rippling event horizon of the Stargate.

"I suppose so." She took a deep breath in as she stepped through the Stargate for the first time.

* * *

><p><strong>Well there you have it folks. I hope you enjoyed that one. I know there was a lot of talking in this chapter; there probably will be in the next one. Next chapter will be the extraction and a little bit of planetary exploration for Kate. The final chapter after that one will be the epilogue and will most likely be the longest chapter of them all. <strong>

**Please leave me a review; I do like to know what you all thought of it. **

**Sam**


	11. Chapter 10: Not in Kansas anymore

_First of all, I am going to apologise profusely for not updating this sooner. Blame uni, work, life, video games and other fanfiction. I was meaning to get this chapter up before I went on holidays but as it would happen, I didn't. And now, I'm at the end of my holiday and I am back at work tomorrow, I really wanted to get this out before I got swamped with stuff. This chapter has taken me forever to write, it just didn't want to get written. _

_I hope you enjoy this next chapter. It's just this one and an epilogue to go. _

_**Where we left off:**_

_Jack guided her by the arm until they came to the edge, "You ready for this Katie-girl?" he asked as she stared wide-eyed at the rippling event horizon of the Stargate._

_"I suppose so." She took a deep breath in as she stepped through the Stargate for the first time._

**Chapter 10: We're definitely not in Kansas anymore, Toto.**

When Kate emerged from the Stargate, she took a step forward and collapsed to her knees, throwing up what little she had in her stomach. Jack leant down and soothingly rubbed her back; "It's always like that the first time."

"It's always worse if you're already suffering from morning sickness," Vala added, "Believe me. That's how I found out I was pregnant with Liam."

Kate nodded and wiped her mouth and took a drink from the water bottle that Jack had handed her. "Thanks." She took a deep breath before standing up and surveying her surroundings. "So we're on another planet?"

"Yeah-sure-ya-betcha," Jack fished his trusty green cap from his back pocket and put it on, letting it mould to his head, as if it had a memory. He then steadied his weapon in front of his chest before following the Tok'ra down a path.

"It doesn't look too much different from anywhere on Earth," she looked around a little more as she followed the group, noticing the lush green trees that reminded her of pines. Daniel coughed a softly behind her and as she turned to him, he pointed up. Kate gazed into the sky and saw two moons. "Well there's a noticeable difference."

The group walked for about twenty minutes before they came to a small, circular clearing. They all huddled together, with Kate in the centre, as Anise pressed a button on her left wrist. A set of five rings came up around them, then there was a flash of light and the rings went down again. Kate let out a gasp of surprise when she realised that they were no longer in the forest, but in a tunnel made out of crystals.

"Whoa," Kate exclaimed in awe as she took in the sights around her.

Jack grinned. "Cool, huh?"

Kate could only nod in reply before following their Tok'ra leader and SG-1 down the tunnels. Anise led them down a series of passageways for a couple hundred metres until they reached their destination.

"You will all wait here until the council members are ready to perform the procedure," she told them succinctly before turning on her heel and heading out of the room.

It was a spacious area with benches and chairs for the group sit on. Kate was the first to take a seat, her nerves getting the better of her. Running her fingers through her hair, she let out a large breath. Sam noticed her unease and sat down beside her and rubbed her back soothingly.

"I know this is scary, but the Tok'ra know what they're doing. You and your baby are going to be fine."

Kate nodded. "I hope so. This baby wasn't planned but I love it already." She placed her left hand on her stomach and looked at Sam, "I can't wait to meet it."

Sam smiled. "Judging by the look on Rick's face when he found out, I don't think you're the only one."

"Yeah," Kate chuckled, "he was pretty ecstatic. I couldn't ask for a better father for my baby."

Sam and Kate continued to talk quietly and the rest of the team occupied themselves while they waited for the Tok'ra to return.

An hour later, Anise returned. "The council is ready." She turned to Kate, "If you will follow me."

Kate stood and wiped her hands on her pants, getting rid of the sweat that unknowingly built up. Taking a deep breath she silently followed Anise, aware that Jack was right behind her, silently offering his support. They headed down more passageways; it was like a maze and Kate's head spun a little as she tried to recall the route they had taken.

The Tok'ra council was set up in a large room; to the left was a long table where eleven of the twelve members sat and at the end was a device that looked like a large needle. Anise led Kate into the centre of the room, in front of the council.

"You are Katherine Beckett of the Tau'ri, are you not?" one of the Tok'ra asked.

"Yes, sir."

"You are here to get a larva Goa'uld removed, is that also correct?" another confirmed.

Again, Kate answered in the affirmative.

"And how did you happen to be blended with this parasite?" a third asked.

Kate stood with her hands clasped in front of her, "I was kidnapped by the man who orchestrated my mother's murder. He was working for an organization known as the Trust. He had me implanted with this Goa'uld to try and control me, but it didn't work because I'm pregnant. And now, all I want is for this thing to be removed so I can move on with my life."

The eleven council members murmured amongst themselves for a few seconds before turning back to Kate. One of the women spoke, "We are satisfied with your answers. Please stand with your back against the far wall, facing the device."

Kate did as she was told, her heart thumping wildly. She locked eyes with Jack as the twelfth council member took his place beside her. The Tok'ra councilman went through the ritual chant and started up the extracting device. It hummed to life and a bright blue laser beam shot out of it and hit Kate squarely on the forehead. It took all of Jack's will power and military training not to rush to his goddaughter's side when she let out a heart-wrenching scream of pain.

The procedure took all of about thirty seconds to complete, and when it was over, Kate collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face. The Tok'ra pulled the canister out of the machine, which held the dying Goa'uld symbiote, and threw it to the hard floor, shattering it to pieces and killing the parasite in the process.

When the ceremony was finally complete, Jack made his way over to Kate and gathered her in his arms, letting her cry out all her tears. "How 'bout we get you home, huh?"

Kate only nodded and gingerly stood up as her stomach felt like she was on a boat on the high seas without any stabilisers. She and Jack picked up the rest of the team from where they were waiting before heading back to the Stargate. It was slow going with Kate having to stop on occasion to throw up; now that the Goa'uld was gone, her pregnancy symptoms took immediate affect on her body.

* * *

><p><strong>SGC<strong>

Jim and Rick sat unmoving in the briefing room, occasionally sipping their cups of coffee that the SFs would bring them every hour or so. They lost track of how long they had actually been sitting in there.

"Do you think Kate will be okay?" Rick asked.

Jim smiled. "If I know Jack, he would move a mountain to make sure she would be."

"He's a good man."

"One of the best." Jim took a large mouthful of his coffee and grimaced. It had gone cold. Taking a brief glance at Rick who sat opposite him, facing the Stargate and staring at it intently. "Thank you, Rick."

Rick looked up, confused. "What for?" he asked.

"For the first time in a very long time, Katie is happy. And I have you to thank for that."

"The feeling is mutual. I've never felt so alive as I have when I'm with her. We were friends before anything else, and I think that made all the difference," he replied.

"Well whatever makes it work, I know you will be the best husband and father to the both of them," Jim told him.

"That means a lot. Thank you."

Jim and Rick sat in silence for another hour before the klaxons started blaring and Walter's voice was heard over the intercom, "Unscheduled off-world activation."

The two men jumped to their feet and ran down the stairs and stood next to General Landry. "Is it them?" Rick asked.

"Receiving IDC now," Walter paused, "it's SG-1."

"Open the iris," Landry ordered. Looking at Rick and Jim, he said, "Come with me."

They followed him down another flight of stairs and through the metal doors to the Gate Room. Standing at the foot of the ramp the three men watched as SG-1, led by Teal'c, then Mitchell, Jackson, Vala, Sam and then Jack, carrying a pale looking Kate walked through the event horizon.

Rick let out the breath he had been holding as Kate came nearer. When she finally reached him, she threw her arms around his neck and drew him in for a tight embrace. "I'm so glad you're ok," Rick whispered in her ear, "I love you so much."

Kate pulled back slightly and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, "I love you, too."

Jack came up behind them, "We should get you checked out in the infirmary so that you can get home."

* * *

><p>Kate held Rick's hand tightly all the way to the infirmary and only let it go momentarily to put on the gown Doctor Lam gave her. It took about an hour for all the tests to be done and Rick and Jim refused to leave her side the entire time. When Carolyn came back with an ultrasound machine the eyes of all three lit up.<p>

"So who wants to see this baby?" she asked. Not waiting for a reply, she covered Kate's lower half with the sheet before pulling up the gown. "Now this is going to be a bit cold."

Carolyn squirted the gel onto Kate's abdomen and she shivered at the contact. Running the wand over Kate's stomach, she finally found what she was looking for. "Here we go, can you see this here?" she pointed to a bean-shaped object on the screen. "That's your baby." Carolyn showed them its head and back and little hands and feet. Flicking a switch, she asked, "Can you hear that whooshing sound?" When the three nodded, she replied, "That's the heartbeat. And by the look of it, it's a strong one. Your baby is a fighter."

Rick looked at Kate; both had tears in their eyes. "That's our baby. Can you believe it?"

"It's amazing." Kate turned to her father. "See that, dad. That's your grandchild."

Jim squeezed her hand lightly and kissed her forehead, "Thank you for sharing that with me, Katie."

Carolyn packed away the machine and wiped the gel off Kate. "When you get home, make an appointment with your OB/GYN and they'll be able to follow your progress. If they have any issues with your medical history, which I don't think they will, just let me know and I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks Carolyn, you've been great," Kate replied.

"Any time. Now, you're free to go, but don't overdo it. Your body is still recovering." With that, she turned around and headed out to see her other patients.

"So how 'bout we blow this joint and head home?" Rick suggested.

"Sounds like a great idea. But first, I need to get dressed. Can you hand me my clothes and I'll meet you in outside when I'm done."

Rick and Jim did as they were told and not five minutes later, Kate emerged outside the infirmary. "We need to see Jack and the others before we go," Jim told her.

"I was planning on it," she replied as she entwined her fingers with Rick's.

* * *

><p>The trio walked the halls of the SGC until they reached the mess hall. They found Jack and SG-1 sitting at one of the tables, which was piled with every dessert imaginable.<p>

"Pull up a chair, guys. There's plenty to go around," Cam told them when he spotted them walking over.

Kate grabbed one of the red jello cups and started eating. After swallowing her first mouthful, she started to speak; "I just wanted to thank everyone for everything you've all done. From finding me after I was kidnapped to getting that thing out of me, you've shown me what true heroes are. So, thank you."

"And if any of you find yourselves in New York, you'll always have a place to stay," Rick added.

Vala's eyes lit up and she elbowed Daniel, "Did you hear that Daniel? We have somewhere to stay when you take me to New York. Now we definitely have to go."

Daniel groaned and buried his face in his hands as the rest of the table laughed.

When the dessert was all polished off, Jack stood up and turned to the Beckett/Castle clan, "So how about we see to getting you home tonight?"

Rick's eyes lit up, "We get to beam again?"

"Yeahsureyabetcha."

"Sweet!"

Kate rolled her eyes, "It's like I'm marrying a child."

Sam leaned over to Kate and whispered loud enough for all to hear, "Welcome to the club."

Kate laughed and Castle became indignant. "Hey!"

"Shut up, Castle. You know it's true," she told him jokingly.

He shrugged his shoulders as he stood up in preparation to leave. "What about our stuff?" he asked.

"It's all been brought to the base, so we'll transport it with you," Sam replied.

"Looks like everything is all sorted then." Rick went around shaking everyone's hands, thanking them, followed by Jim doing the same.

When Jim got to Jack, the two men embraced. "Thanks for bringing her home, Jack."

"Any time."

The goodbyes were finally all said Jack and Sam took the two Becketts and Castle to the designated pick-up point on the base. "We've scanned your apartment and no one is home, so it's safe to beam you directly there," Sam told them.

Kate nodded and Castle added, "Beam us up, Scotty," causing Kate to roll her eyes at him again. "What? I've always wanted to say that for real."

Before Kate could reply, a bright light engulfed them and she found herself standing in the living room of the loft. "Whoa. What was that?"

"Pretty cool, huh?"

"You could say that." Kate dropped to the couch, still in shock from the events of the last few days.

Rick came and knelt in front of her, "Why don't you go have a nap? The rest will do you and the baby a world of good."

"Which world?"

Rick chuckled. "Go on. Off to bed with you."

Kate grudgingly stood up and headed to the bedroom, stopping to give her father a hug. "I love you, daddy."

"Love you too, Katie."

When Kate shut the door behind her, Jim said to Rick, "I should probably go too. You look like you need as much sleep as she does."

"Yes, dad." Rick joked as he shook the older man's hand. "I'll call the car service for you."

Rick helped Jim with his luggage and saw him off downstairs before trudging back up to the loft, content to just crawl into bed with his fiancé and unborn baby and sleep for the next few days. He was happy. Things were most definitely looking up.

* * *

><p><em>There you have it. This is also the longest chapter of this story; when I was struggling at a thousand words, I never imagined I'd be here.<em>

_This is the official end of the story, but as I said at the outset, there will be an epilogue coming, which will pretty much consist of snippets of the future for both the Castle and Stargate characters. _

_I hope you enjoyed it._

_Please review if you so desire. _

_Sam_


End file.
